• National

NRTI dedicated to the Nation

• The Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal dedicated the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), India’s first Railway University, to the nation in Vadodara on 15 December 2018.
• It is third such university in the world after Russia and China.
• The Railway University began its operations on 5th September 2018.

• International

Philippines' Catriona Gray crowned Miss Universe 2018

• Philippines’ Catriona Gray has been crowned Miss Universe 2018, becoming the fourth woman from the country to win the title.
• Tamaryn Green from South Africa was named the first runner-up while Miss Venezuela Sthefany Gutiérrez stood third at the pageant which was held in Bangkok, Thailand.
• India was represented by 22-year-old Nehal Chudasama, who couldn’t qualify for top 20.

• International

552-carat diamond found in Canada, largest in North America

• A 552-carat yellow diamond has been found in Canada, the largest known discovery in North America.
• The diamond was unearthed at the Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories in October by mining company Dominion Diamond Mines, which made the announcement earlier this week.
• The “astonishing gemstone” will not be sold in its rough form, the company said.

• Sports

PV Sindhu Becomes 1st Indian To Win BWF World Tour Finals

• PV Sindhu made history, becoming the first Indian to win the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals tournament.
• Sindhu came up against a familiar foe in Nozomi Okuhara in the title clash but unlike her previous meetings, the Indian superstar showed much more patience in her gameplay against the Japanese.

• Sports

Djokovic and Halep wins 2018 ITF world champions

• Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep have been named as the 2018 International Tennis Federation (ITF) world champions by the governing body of global tennis.
• World number one Djokovic receives the honour from the ITF for the sixth time, while it is the first year that Romania’s top-ranked Halep has been recognized.
• Djokovic had a maximum speed of 36.02kph, better than anyone else but was second to Andy Murray in terms of average speed, the Brit scoring 15.89 kph as compared to Djokovic’s 14.89 kph.
• Halep, the former French Open finalist, had a maximum speed with 23.04 kph while World No. 1 Angelique Kerber’s average speed at 14.27 was the highest.

• Sports

Belgium beat Netherlands to win men's Hockey World Cup for 1st time

• Belgium defeated Netherlands in the final in Bhubaneswar on Sunday to clinch the men’s Hockey World Cup for the first time.
• Both the teams failed to score in the regulation time, after which Belgium beat the three-time champions 3-2 in the shootouts.
• This is the second consecutive time that Netherlands finished second in the tournament.

• Important Days

Vijay Diwas celebrated on 16 December

• Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year in India on 16 December.
• The day marks the Indian military’s victory over Pakistan in 1971 during the war for the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan.
• On this day, 93,000 members of Pakistani troops surrendered to the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini, calling an end to the Indo-Pak war of 1971.

• States

Bhupesh Baghel named as new Chhattisgarh Chief Minister

• State Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel was on Sunday named as the new Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh.
• This is the third time Baghel has won from the Patan seat in Chhattisgarh, winning twice when the constituency was part of undivided Madhya Pradesh.
• Congress ousted BJP in Chhattisgarh after 15 years by winning 68 out of 90 seats.

• Miscellaneous

Cyclone Phethai likely to hit Andhra today, alert sounded

• Cyclone Phethai is predicted to make a landfall in Andhra Pradesh by Monday afternoon and an alert has been sounded in the state.
• Fishing has been suspended and those out on sea have been advised to return to coasts.
• The South-Central Railway has made arrangements to handle emergency situations and keep employees ready to undertake relief work.